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Saturday, October 28, 2006

Orkut = Adda = Kitty Party

Objectors to Orkut should take a look at the Orkuts that we have had for years in the real world. Like the adda in Kolkata. Like the kitty parties anywhere in India. Like the Lion’s Club, like the Rotary, like chess clubs and carom clubs. Like the Laughter Clubs, like jazz societies and poetry readings and drama groups.

They’re all Orkuts.

Exactly. Humans are social, they need to connect with other people, and the internet lets us reach out to people who would otherwise have been inaccessible to us, sharing interests that no one in our physical neighbourhood might. Sites like Orkut enable us to form or join addas beyond the ones we can physically visit. Hell, even blogging the way I do, without comments, can vastly expand one's social circle. Immense connectivity explodes.